ASCP Publishes Findings from 2023 Wage Survey

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) published the results of its 2023 wage survey in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology on Oct. 7. The confidential survey collects wage data from the clinical laboratory workforce in the United States. The 2023 report includes data from 9,615 respondents.

Adjusting for inflation, the mean hourly wage for staff-level personnel increased since 2021 for pathologists’ assistants (10.94%), molecular biology technologists (7.98%), phlebotomists (6.25%), cytogenetic technologists (3.7%) and medical laboratory technicians (.66%). Wage decreases for other staff-level occupations ranged between –0.56% and –4.27%.

For staff lead positions, the inflation-adjusted hourly wage increased for cytogenetic technologists (6.46%) and histotechnicians (1.3%) only. Wages for other staff lead positions decreased between –1% and -13.11%. Inflation-adjusted wages for supervisor positions increased for medical laboratory scientists only (.44%). Geographically, laboratory professionals from urban areas continue to earn more than their rural counterparts.

The 2023 wage survey also examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on wages, burnout, laboratory testing and staffing. In 2023, 36.1% of respondents reported experiencing burnout, a decrease from 52.5% in 2021—a decrease of 16.4%. Among those feeling burned out, 41.9% said they were considering a similar role in another lab, 39.6% said they were thinking about changing careers and 32% said they were exploring related fields. Respondents most frequently cited staffing challenges, their workloads and being underpaid as reasons for burnout.

The report also discusses ASCP’s actions to address the challenges highlighted in the 2023 wage survey, including initiatives like the Medical and Public Health Laboratory Workforce Coalition and the Grow Your Own Initiative, which aim to improve recruitment, retention and education in the laboratory profession.

AABB encourages members to participate in ASCP wage and vacancy surveys, which have served as the primary source of information for academic, government and industry labor analysts since 1988. The data collected in this survey will be used as a starting point for additional in-depth surveys to be used to inform recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification and advocacy.